Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-03-25
by war, there is nothing to divide Amer.

by war, there is nothing to divide Amer
lcan citizens by sectional lines bat preju
dice and passion" The speaker ther
devoted himself to other controversies
which finally led to the war of the rebel
lion and to the features Of the strife relat
ing to Tennessee. "When the war was
over" Sherman said, ''tbe people of the
north heartily approved Of the generous
terms granted by General Grant to Gen.
eral Lee and the Confederate troops, and
wished that the people of the south
should be restored to all their rights and
privileges, subject only TO such condi-
tions as honor and good faith seemed to
demand. arising out of the proclamation
of President Lincoln for the emancil & O..
tion of slaves. Both sides felt that
the abolition of slavery was the neces.
sary result of the war and it seemed
to US that if the slaves were TO
be free they must be armed with
the privileges of freemen, and these
were secured to them by constitutional
amendments. The attempt to force
these rights by the national authorities
have thus far partially failed and now it
is considered, under limitations of the
constitution, that the rights OF a citizen
of a stite can only be enforced through
the State or national tribunals. and when
public opinion is intolerant and voters
will not do their duties as citizens,
either white or black may be without
remedy for the grossest wrong, except
the rig ht to migrate to where his rights
will be respected. Our constitutions are
based upon the idea that such denial of
rights is impossible and I trust
that the time is not far distant when the
people of every State will feel it
to be both just and expedient that
every citizen of the State shall be pro-
tected in the free and equal enjoyment
of every right and privilege conferred
by the Constitution of the Uni ed States.
The Republican party is pledged to this
policy; and, though 1t will use no un-
constitutional means to secure its rights,
it would be false to its principles if it
did not use all its moral and legal power
to that end. No wrong can be done to
the humblest citizen and no ght with
held without reacting upon the commu-
nifty at large. l was glad to hear, in
passing through several OF the Southern
States, conservative citizens say that
public sentiment now revolts at the
unlawful methods to defraud the free
exercise Of equal rights Of citizens, that
have been adopted in several States, and
are still practiced in what is known as
the black G unties of the South. So
long as such methods are resorted to
there will be the keen sense of wrong
and i justice to the Injured parties. and
those who practice such offenses will, in
the end, sutfer for it. Sectional feeling
will continue to exist as long as large
masses of people, whether rich or poor,
white or black, are denied their rights to
share in f-government, but there is
another ground upon which prefer to
base my appeal to the South for justice
and fair play to the African race. 1t
was recently stated in debate
by Senator Vest, of Missouri,
that when our wives and children were
in their hands during the war, they
acted 30 as to make every man in the
South their friends, who had one par
ticle of manhood about him. Ii this be
so, as ell history attestl, then We may
appeal to the manly spirit of our own
race, to protect these free men from the
lawless injustice and cruelty of all those
OF our race, who may hereafter seek to
deprive them of their plain constitu.
tional rights. either by open force or by
taking advantage of their ignorance. If
the kindly spirit, started by Senator
Vest, is manifested, the color line will
gradually fade away in the dim horizon
from American politics and we can then
look only to the safety, development and
power of one great and united country"
After touching on the financial prob.
lem, he said: "One Of the great objects
of the formation of government was to
secure such improvements for commerce;
all great cities Of the country think that
all rivers and harbors are unimportant,
except their own, and yet the commerce
of the Ohio and M'sssslppi rivers is
much greater in quantity and value than
the commerce with the Unites States
and foreign nations" In conclusion he
said: "No portion of the public expsn-
diture is more prolifi, of benefit, or is
more carefully disbursed, than that ex-
pended by the engineer corps in their
imt rovement of our rivers and harbors.
If President Cleveland had ever been
west of Buffalo, he W uld never have
pocketed the River and Harbor
bill. l believe that it is a wise pub.
lie policy to erect suitable public
buildings to carry on the business OF the
country wherever the amount of busi-
ness will justify such an expenditure
Senator Sherman, in closing. eulogized
the Republican party at length, referring
to tue clamorous cry of the Democrats
in 1884, about the ''time for change"
and denied that they had accomplished
or attempted any important reform.